Wood Chips—The Secret to Effortless, Inexpensive Biodynamic Gardening

By Dr. Mercola

If you’re passionate about your health, you ultimately will reach the conclusion that the quality of the food you eat in large part determines your health. You need nutrient-dense, non-GMO or non-glyphosate contaminated foods to stay healthy.

You can purchase organic from the store but this is typically shipped long- distance, and in many cases from a different country. You can purchase from local organic farmers but you still have logistical challenges and it may have been picked several days prior to your eating it.

Fortunately, regardless of your income, it is possible to nearly effortlessly grow your own food right in the comfort and convenience of your own backyard and virtually eliminate the time from harvesting to eating.

Paul Gautschi has been a personal inspiration to me, and his garden is a testament to the fact that growing large amounts of healthy food can be very simple, and doesn’t require a lot of time.

The documentary Back to Eden was my first exposure to his work. I struggled for years seeking to unlock the puzzle of growing nutrient-dense food before I came across his recommendations—the simplicity and low cost of which really appealed to me.

The key to growing nutrient-dense food is to have a soil that is abundant with microbial life and nutrients. Sadly, very few of us have access to this type of soil but the good news is that it is relatively easy to create it.

After studying his technique more carefully, I realized that using wood chips is probably the single best way to optimize soil microbiology with very little effort.

Shortly after watching the film, I called my local tree cutting service and was able to get three truckloads of wood chips dropped on my driveway for free, which I then spread onto my landscape. Each load is around 10-15 yards and weighs about 7-10,000 pounds. So far I have had 13 truckloads delivered and I plan on doubling that.

Why wood chips?

You can actually use virtually any organic material for mulch but wood chips seem to be one of the best, as they are concentrated sources of carbon that serve to feed the complex soil ecology. Typically, carbon is one of the nutrients that is far too low in the soil.

Additionally, by covering the soil around your plants and/or trees with mulch, you mimic what nature does naturally, and in so doing, you effortlessly maximize the health of the soil. And soil health, as I’ve discussed in many previous articles, is the key to growing nutritious food.

Actually, the effortlessness comes after you do the hard work of moving the chips to where you need them to be. But once there, over time they work their magic and virtually eliminate the most concerning garden tasks, which is weeding, watering, and fertilizing.

Ground Cover Reduces Water Needs

Covering the ground with wood chips dramatically reduces water evaporation, thereby minimizing the need for watering. The wood chips also tend to absorb moisture from the air at night and release it back into the soil during the day when the plants need it.

Water shortage was in fact part of what inspired Paul when he first began. He’d moved from Los Angeles to Washington State where he built a house and planned an orchard. The problem was, his well didn’t produce enough water for irrigation.

“It was August ‘79... It didn’t rain the whole summer... And I’m saying, ‘God, how am I going to grow fruit trees for my family without water?’”

His answer lay in the woods behind his house. Those trees were all lush and green, and when he poked around, he realized they were surrounded by deep, dark, lush, fertile soil—courtesy of all the fallen leaves and twigs that had never been cleared away.

“I started planting my trees and covering [them]. At that time, I had straw and sheep manure; now I’m doing the wood chips,” he says. “My orchard has not been watered or fertilized for 35 years, and it’s produced abundantly beyond what people can imagine...

Wherever you live, there’s something in nature that you can use to cover the ground with. If you have nothing but rocks, they make a great cover. You can grow wonderful gardens in rocks because rocks are minerals and they hold moisture...

Whatever you’re growing, put it back. It’s that simple. If you’re raising corn, chop the stalks and put them back. If you’re raising grain, put the straw back.

Whatever you use, put it back... Any organic material lying on the ground will decompose, return to the soil, and the plants work out. It’s so commonsense simple.”

Compost, Biochar and Tilling...

Now, some people use wood chips, but they put them into a compost pile. Composting must be created correctly, it takes a little practice to get the balance of nitrogen and carbon right while maintaining a proper temperature.

It seems obvious to me that when you use wood chips for ground cover, you’re mimicking the type of environment that soil microbes are naturally adapted to. The key here is to create stable carbon complexes.

Biochar is another great tool to help building your soil, the surface area of biochar is what gives it such great qualities when used in farming or gardening.

The chips and leaves gradually break down and are digested and redigested by a wide variety of bacteria, fungi, and nematodes in the soil. Once the carbon can’t be digested anymore, it forms humates that last in the soil and provide a host of benefits that I will describe below.

Other gardeners till the wood chips into the ground, which is by far your worst option. It’s actually important to avoid tilling the earth as it tends to destroy soil microbes, especially the complex and delicate mycorrhizal fungi. When you use wood chips as ground cover, tilling becomes completely unnecessary. As Paul notes:

“My stance is that nature has been doing this [since] before human history. It’s really intelligent... I need to pay attention to what nature does and copy it. This whole idea of creating compost piles and mixing and turning is a waste of time. You lose all the compost in a place don’t want it. Put whatever you have where you want it. Get out of there. Leave it alone. It’s well without you.”

Wood Chips Effortlessly Create Lush Top Soil and Eliminate Need for Irrigation and Fertilizer

A few short months after putting down a deep layer of wood chips, you will end up with lush fertile soil beneath the chips that will happily support whatever you choose to grow. It is important to never plant in the actual chips, you need to move the chips back and plant in the soil and then cover the plant to below the first leaves.

One major reason why most people don’t want to garden is they abhor weeding. Wood chips will radically reduce your weeding, probably by over 90 percent, and the weeds that do grow are easily pulled out by their roots so it becomes relatively effortless to keep the area clean.

Many parts of the country are also challenged with droughts and may not get more than 10-20 inches of water a year. Wood chips are the ideal solution as they will eliminate water evaporation from the soil. Better yet, at night they will grab moisture from the air and release it into the soil in the day when the soil needs it. Paul only gets 14 inches of rain a year and hasn’t irrigated his orchard in over 35 years, yet still grows incredibly juicy fruits and vegetables. Paul notes:

“I’m growing wasabi, which is impossible to grow at any place but standing water and shade. I’m growing it in full sun and in wood chips right next to sage, side by side and I’m not irrigating. Here I have the extremes of water requirement – one wants nothing as a plant and one that wants to be on standing water – and they’re thriving in the same place and I’m not watering.

This system is so perfect it meets all the requirements of anything growing and there’s absolutely no adjustment anyone has to do... I’m doing all the things that they say you can’t. I’m intentionally doing things that aren’t supposed to work. I’m growing potatoes underneath my apple trees. I’m growing asparagus in the shade of my apple trees. I suddenly get that all these things they say you can’t do is because they’re coming from the broken side of things. And in nature, nothing’s broken.”

Another major benefit is the elimination of fertilizers. One of the reasons why industrial agriculture is so damaging is their use of chemical salts that decimate the soil microbes.

“When things are healthy in nature, no bug touches it,” Paul says. “Bugs and insects only attack dehydrated, stressed, and unhealthy plants. That’s the design in nature. Everything in nature is so in line with this maintenance and support of the environment. It’s not negative. See, when an insect attacks your plant, it’s telling you that your plant’s not well; it’s dehydrated. Don’t go killing the insect. Correct the problem and the insects will leave.”

Other Incredible Benefits of Wood Chips

When you use wood chips you not only radically increase the bacteria, fungi, protozoa, and nematodes, the wood chips also attract earthworms, which create vermicompost—one of the best composts on the planet. I believe the mistake most people make with vermicompost is to purchase it or create it by establishing earthworm farms. Then they have to spend loads of time collecting and spreading it. It is far more efficient to feed the worms that are already in your soil. They love wood chips and leaves and rapidly reproduce. You can easily create many tons of free compost every year right where you need it most, under your plants, with no effort on your part!

Wood chips also virtually eliminate the need for expensive soil testing. Most tests are seriously antiquated as they have no measure of the quality of the soil microbes. They are artifacts of an ancient era when farming was thought to be a chemical experiment. Wood chips will normalize whatever soil you have. Paul recently had his soil tested after decades of using wood chips, and most of his nutrient levels were literally 10 times higher than what is normally considered “great,” yet he never adds any fertilizers.

“Listen to these numbers,” Paul says. “On the test, you get two lines – the desired level that you want, and your lab results. The nitrates: the desired level was 40; my lab result was 120. Phosphorous, the desired level is 174; mine is 2,345. Potassium, the desired level is 167; mine is 1,154. Coming down to the smaller numbers: zinc, the desired level is 1.6; mine 21.5. What I love about this is I didn’t do anything!”

Last but not least, wood chips serve as a great insulation blanket for your soil and moderates the temperatures in the summer and the winter. When you have a one to two foot deep blanket of chips over your plants, it’s highly unlikely that the soil will freeze in the winter, thereby damaging your plants and slowing down the soil microbes that build soil quality. And, during hot summer months, it keeps the soil cooler so the roots can work more efficiently with the soil microbes.

How to Work with Wood Chips

Simply look up “tree cutting services” for your town on Google. Most tree cutting companies will drop the chips on your driveway for free. Typically, companies dump them in a landfill as waste, and pay to do that, so they are more than happy to dump them on your property. It’s still highly recommended that you tip them; $20 is good. You can go as high as $50 if you’re feeling generous. 

Even at $50 this is an amazing bargain as you are getting around 5,000-10,000 pounds of material that will give you incredible soil. Even on a small property, you will likely need many truckloads. Wood chips work because of the volume of carbon you are dumping into the soil. Even though a truckload may be bigger than your car and weigh thousands of pounds, it is likely you will need many truckloads to convert your soil. I am converting about ¼ of an acre at my home and am using about 20-30 truckloads or about a quarter million pounds of wood chips. 

Once you lay the chips down though and your soil is established with the earthworms, you can go for many years without having to put them in again. Depending on how much you put on right from the start, you may or may not need to top them off each year. “I put 16 inches [of wood chips] around my trees. That was 14 years ago. I’ve done nothing since. I’m starting to add now because it’s broken down. But that was 14 years of absolutely no work, no input, and abundant return,” Paul says. 

As Paul mentions, you don’t have to use wood chips, but I do believe they are the best. If you don’t have access to them you can use pretty much any other waste biomass that you have freely available in your area, like straw or cornstalks. You could even use sawdust but it is far inferior to wood chips as it is far more natural and won’t overwhelm the soil like sawdust can.

Ideally, it is best to use hardwoods like oak. When they have fresh leaves on them, the leaves are loaded with phosphorus and nitrogen and balance the carbon in the wood. Ideally, it is best to spread them shortly after the wood is cut. If you wait more than 48 hours, they will start to decompose and when you move them in the wheelbarrow there will be loads of dust that can cause problems. If you are using older chips, please wear a mask so you don’t inhale the wood chip dust. This is not an issue with fresh chips.

Put at least four inches of chips down if you are planting a vegetable garden. If you are preparing your soil for next year, you can go much deeper as much of it will decompose over the winter. You just need to hmake sure you only have four inches when you put your plants in otherwise the chips will cover the plants.

It takes time for the wood chips to break down and create soil. So now is the perfect time to lay down a six to 16 inch layer of chips in your planting areas. The thicker the layer the more it will protect your soil during the winter as wood is an insulator and will help protect the soil from freezing and keep the microbes going strong all winter. Plus you will have half a year for the chips to be digested by the soil to produce a magnificent environment to create carbon in the forms of humates that will happily feed your new crop next year.  I had my team put 75 tons of wood chips around our Chicago office a few weeks ago so we can start growing organic crops for our staff next spring 

Never plant in wood chips. You only plant in the luscious and magnificent soil it creates immediately below the wood chips. Also never bury the wood chips, which would violate no till principles and consume massive amounts of nitrogen to digest the chips. You can go to 16 to 24 inches if you are laying the chips around your trees. It is not necessary to keep the chips away from the tree as they will be just fine. Just make sure the chips are below the first set of leaves or branches.

“The one thing I just want people to get is that the Creator, who can do anything, never disturbs the ground and He never mixes. All He does is layer. We need to pay attention. Observe the master. He’s the master gardener. Just observe and copy. What’s so amazing is that the easiest is the best. All that work we do is counterproductive,” Paul says.

Growing Your Own Food Is One of the Best Ways to Optimize Your Diet

Ultimately, you have to have good food. If you don’t have healthy nutrient-dense food, it is really difficult to be healthy. Growing it yourself is in many cases the simplest and least expensive option. What makes organic gardening so effective is the focus on soil health. And your health truly begins in the soil. By optimizing the soil microbiology, your plants will be healthier and more nutritious, and these benefits translate into health benefits when you eat them.

Optimizing soil biology also strengthens plants against pest infestations without having to resort to chemical warfare that kills far more than the insects they're designed to destroy. You can easily apply these principles to your own home garden—no matter how small it is. Even if it’s just a few pots on your balcony.  There's no doubt that urban gardening and small-scale farming is an important step toward building a more sustainable food system.

“If people became responsible to grow their own food, the chemical companies would become extinct because no one would buy their products, because you don’t need them,” Paul says. “I have absolutely no need for any fertilizer, any pesticide, any herbicide, or any fungicide ever. I have no need.”

For most it is now a bit too late in the season to prepare your soil for this year, but you can easily do it for next year. One common challenge is finding the space to plant a garden. You can easily convert your lawn to a garden by laying cardboard over the grass and putting the chips directly on the cardboard. The grass won’t grow through it and it forms terrific compost. Just be sure to take all the tape off the boxes and not use any boxes with shiny ink as that would be detrimental for the earthworms that otherwise love cardboard. If you start now, by the time spring rolls around, you will have soil that will be the envy of most.

Bone Broth Recipe

By Dr. Mercola

Many people have memories of coming together on Sundays to share a meal with their family. If you’re lucky, you may still do this today, and if you do, you know that part of the allure is waiting while the various pots simmer on the stove, filling your home with the scent of the home-cooked meal to come.

Today, I want to share with you a recipe that is the perfect complement to your Sunday meals… although really you can make it any day of the week. It’s a recipe for bone broth, and it’s one that is highly nourishing for both your body and your soul.

While the recipe calls for lengthy simmering (about 24-72 hours), the actual preparation time is very short, making this a meal that even those who are time-crunched can prepare. If you’re fighting off a cold or the flu, homemade bone broth is excellent for speeding healing and recuperation from illness.

But far beyond this, broth or "stock" is a powerful food as it’s easily digestible, helps heal the lining of your gut, and contains valuable nutrients that promote healing throughout your body.

The Healing Benefits of Bone Broth for Your Gut

Bone broth is a staple of the GAPS Diet, which is based on the Gut and Psychology Syndrome (GAPS) principles developed by Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride.

The GAPS diet is often used to treat children with autism and other disorders rooted in gut dysfunction, but just about anyone with allergies or less than optimal gut health can benefit from it, as it is designed to heal leaky gut.

If your gut is leaky or permeable, partially undigested food, toxins, viruses, yeast, and bacteria have the opportunity to pass through your intestine and access your bloodstream; this is known as leaky gut.

When your intestinal lining is repeatedly damaged due to reoccurring leaky gut, damaged cells called microvilli become unable to do their job properly. They become unable to process and utilize the nutrients and enzymes that are vital to proper digestion.

Eventually, digestion is impaired and absorption of nutrients is negatively affected. As more exposure occurs, your body initiates an attack on these foreign invaders. It responds with inflammation, allergic reactions, and other symptoms we relate to a variety of diseases.

Leaky gut is the root of many allergies and autoimmune disorders, for example. When combined with toxic overload, you have a perfect storm that can lead to neurological disorders like autism, ADHD, and learning disabilities.

The GAPS diet starts out as an elimination diet, which means taking out all inflammatory foods. This includes high-fiber foods, processed foods, and anything that is going to be difficult to digest.

One of the main foods that you use is bone broth, because not only is it very easily digested, it also contains profound immune-optimizing components that are foundational building blocks for the treatment of autoimmune diseases.

As your leaky gut begins to heal and your health improves, certain foods are added back in, but bone broth remains a staple because it is so incredibly nourishing for your body. This is why, even if you don’t have gut issues, it is still a wonderful staple food to include in your diet.

Top Reasons to Eat Bone Broth

There are many reasons for incorporating good-old-fashioned bone broth into your diet. The following health benefits attest to its status as "good medicine."

Helps heal and seal your gut, and promotes healthy digestion: The gelatin found in bone broth is a hydrophilic colloid. It attracts and holds liquids, including digestive juices, thereby supporting proper digestion	Inhibits infection caused by cold and flu viruses, etc.: A study published over a decade ago found that chicken soup indeed has medicinal qualities, significantly mitigating infection1
Reduces joint pain and inflammation, courtesy of chondroitin sulphates, glucosamine, and other compounds extracted from the boiled down cartilage	Fights inflammation: Amino acids such as glycine, proline, and arginine all have anti-inflammatory effects. Arginine, for example, has been found to be particularly beneficial for the treatment of sepsis2 (whole-body inflammation). Glycine also has calming effects, which may help you sleep better
Promotes strong, healthy bones: Bone broth contains high amounts of calcium, magnesium, and other nutrients that play an important role in healthy bone formation	Promotes healthy hair and nail growth, thanks to the gelatin in the broth

Choose High-Quality Bones from Grass-Fed Animals

The recipe that follows is from The Heal Your Gut Cookbook: Nutrient-Dense Recipes for Intestinal Health Using the GAPS Diet. Written by Hilary Boynton and Mary Brackett, it shares helpful tips on how to "heal and seal" your gut so that profound healing can take place.

Hilary Boynton is a local food advocate and a certified holistic health counselor who runs several local food co-ops and teaches cooking classes out of her home. Mary Brackett is a photographer and whole foods advocate who seeks out projects that illustrate the importance of healthy choices.

This bone broth recipe is a classic and one you’ll want to keep for future reference. Below I’ve also included tips on how to make this recipe using a slow cooker or different types of bones, such as chicken. Perhaps the most important caveat when making broth, whether you're using chicken or beef, is to make sure the bones are from organically raised, pastured or grass-fed animals.

As noted by Sally Fallon, chickens raised in concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs) tend to produce stock that doesn't gel, and this gelatin has long been valued for its therapeutic properties.³ As noted by Boynton:

"You definitely want to get the best bones you can get—bones from pastured animals. If you can't find a farmer in your area, reach out to your local Weston A. Price chapter leader... There are also resources to get homemade bone broth if you can't make it yourself. ...If you can only get CAFO bones, I guess you go with that. You can still get some healing benefits. But it would be better to go with bones from pastured animals."

Download Interview Transcript

A Basic Bone Broth Recipe

The recipe that follows calls for beef bones, but you can also make bone broth using whole organic chicken, whole fish (including the head) or fish bones, or pork. Each will render a different flavor. Boynton and Brackett actually suggest starting with chicken because it has the mildest flavor (beef tends to be more overpowering). If you're using chicken, simply place the entire chicken, raw, into the pot in place of the beef bones and proceed with the recipe as follows.

One note, if cooking a whole chicken, the meat should start separating from the bone after about 2 hours. Simply remove the chicken from the pot and separate the meat from the bones. Then place the bones back in and continue to simmer. You can even use bones from a roasted chicken or turkey carcass to make bone broth, which is incredibly cost effective since you would otherwise throw them away.

Bone Broth From the Heal Your Gut Cookbook, Boynton & Brackett Ingredients: 3-4 pounds beef marrow and knuckle bones 2 pounds meaty bones such as short ribs ½ cup raw apple cider vinegar 4 quarts filtered water 3 celery stalks, halved 3 carrots, halved 3 onions, quartered Handful of fresh parsley Sea salt Method: Place bones in a pot or a crockpot, add apple cider vinegar and water, and let the mixture sit for 1 hour so the vinegar can leach the mineral out of the bones. Add more water if needed to cover the bones. Add the vegetables bring to a boil and skim the scum from the top and discard. Reduce to a low simmer, cover, and cook for 24-72 hours (if you’re not comfortable leaving the pot to simmer overnight, turn off the heat and let it sit overnight, then turn it back on and let simmer all day the next day) During the last 10 minutes of cooking, throw in a handful of fresh parsley for added flavor and minerals. Let the broth cool and strain it, making sure all marrow is knocked out of the marrow bones and into the broth. Add sea salt to taste and drink the broth as is or store in fridge up to 5 to 7 days or freezer up to 6 months for use in soups or stews.

How to Make Bone Broth Using Your Slow Cooker

Bone broth is an example of a traditional food that’s easily adaptable to your modern lifestyle. Even if you’re away from home most of the day, you can still prepare homemade bone broth by using a slow cooker. To use a slow cooker, you will need to first bring the broth to a boil in a pot on your stove, then skim the scum off the top. Pay careful attention to this stage, as once the broth begins to boil the scum is rolled right back into the broth. The scum are the impurities that you want to remove. You can then transfer the broth to your slow cooker and turn it on to low heat for 24 to 72 hours.

Being Honest Can Improve Your Health

By Dr. Mercola

The average person lies about 11 times a day, and will slip in at least two dishonesties in a 10-minute conversation, according to lying expert Robert Feldman.¹

New research suggests that this widespread insincerity is taking a toll on more than just your good reputation and, in fact, may play a significant role in your health. What’s more, you may be able to lower your risk of sore throats, colds, and headaches just by learning to tell the truth.

The Power of Sincerity for Your Health

Part of Sigmund Freud’s 1904 Fundamental Rule of Psychoanalysis was that complete honesty was required from patients for their cure.² He may have been on to something, as evidenced by research presented at the 2014 national convention of the American Psychological Association.

The study, which was carried out by two University of Notre Dame professionals as part of their “Science of Honesty” project, followed 72 adults for five weeks. The participants were broken into two groups, a control group and a sincerity group that was told to speak only the truth. Members of the sincerity group were told:³

“Throughout every day of the next 5 weeks, you must speak honestly, truthfully, and sincerely—not only about the big things, but also about the small things, such as why you were late.

You must always mean what you say in situations where your statements are to be taken seriously, as opposed to when joking or obviously exaggerating. While you certainly can choose not to answer questions, you must always mean what you say.”

By the end of the study, significant health differences were reported among the two groups. Those in the sincerity group had an average of seven fewer symptoms, such as sore throats, headaches, nausea, and mental tension, than the control group.

One of the study’s authors, psychology professor Anita Kelly, Ph.D, has been following the instructions too, and said that while she normally gets five to seven colds a winter, she had so far had none, despite the fact that she’d also been getting less sleep. As Forbes put it:⁴

“Perhaps all of that lying causes a continual level of psychosomatic stress that handicaps our immune system.”

Why Do People Lie So Much?

Honesty is often reported as one of the most desirable traits in a person. Yet, most people lie on a daily basis, from small “white” lies to more serious offenses. As for why people lie, it depends. Research by Feldman found that people lie almost as a matter of reflex and most may not even realize they’ve done it.

In one study, all the participants said they had been truthful in their recorded conversations, but when the video was played back, 60 percent of the participants had not been truthful (and were reportedly “genuinely surprised” that they had said something inaccurate).⁵

Feldman found that men tend to lie to make themselves look better while women tend to lie to boost another person’s feelings. And extroverts, in general, tend to lie more frequently than introverts.

Separate research from the University of Alberta revealed that people have an easier time lying to their co-workers than to strangers, especially when it comes to protecting their self-worth or self-esteem. Jennifer Argo of the University of Alberta explained:⁶

“…people appear to be short-term focused when they decide to deceive someone—save my self-image and self-worth now, but later on if the deceived individual finds out it can have long-term consequences.”

Five ‘Versions of the Truth’ That are Really Lies

It makes sense that lying would negatively impact your health and emotional well-being, as negative thoughts of all kinds have been shown to do just that. In the case of lying, however, many people do it without even thinking about it, which means, in order to protect your health, you’ve first got to identify what constitutes a lie. Here are five examples that might surprise you, as reported by Psychology Today.⁷

• Controlling a Response: Let’s say you’re telling a friend about an argument you had with your spouse. If you shade the truth by only telling your side of the story, or altering the way in which you actually behaved to reflect more favorably on yourself, it’s lying. You are, in fact, altering or controlling your friend’s response, perhaps to get them to say what you want to hear.
• Lying by Omission: Intentionally leaving out significant or relevant details is a form of lying and will not promote mutual trust or honest communication.
• Exaggerations: Embellishing on your resume, exaggerating your skills, or inflating events when you tell a story are all examples of lies that will eventually deem you untrustworthy.
• Self-Protection: This is a form of lying in which you put a guard up so as to feel less vulnerable and avoid getting hurt. It often involves downplaying your emotions or pretending you’re not interested or involved in order to protect yourself.
• Gossip or Covert Communication: If you talk about someone behind their back, it will usually involve lying at some point (often by denying the gossip to the person being gossiped about). It’s better to only engage in open, honest communications that you don’t feel you have to cover up after the fact.

If Your Doctor Lies It Can Impact Your Health, Too

While telling lies may negatively impact your health, so too can being lied to – especially when you’re lied to by your physician. The Charter on Medical Professionalism, which is endorsed by more than 100 professional groups worldwide, "requires openness and honesty in physicians' communication with patients."

Yet, when a study in Health Affairs presented data from a survey of nearly 1,900 physicians to see how well they follow this principle… the results were less than impressive, to put it mildly:⁸

• One-third of physicians did not completely agree with disclosing serious medical errors to patients
• One-fifth did not completely agree that physicians should never tell a patient something untrue
• Forty percent believed that they should hide their financial relationships with drug and device companies to patients
• Ten percent said they had told patients something untrue in the previous year

While most of the physicians surveyed did agree that they should "fully inform patients about the risks and benefits of interventions" as well as "never disclose confidential information to unauthorized persons," in their entirety the findings cast serious doubt about the trustworthiness of the doctor-patient relationship. As the researchers stated:

"Our findings raise concerns that some patients might not receive complete and accurate information from their physicians, and doubts about whether patient-centered care is broadly possible without more widespread physician endorsement of the core communication principles of openness and honesty with patients."

Research suggests that 10 percent of doctors lie to their patients, sometimes exaggerating health results (or sugarcoating prognoses), or keeping slightly abnormal results from their patients. Still, even if well intentioned, health care is not an area where people want fibs and half-truths. In fact, most people would rather hear the truth in just about any situation… Not to mention, being fully informed is an essential part of taking control of your health… TIME reported:⁹

"…as well-intentioned as their fibs may be, other studies consistently show that patients prefer the truth, and would rather hear harsh news than remain ignorant about a dire medical condition. Being fully informed is a way that patients can cope and prepare for whatever might occur."

Even Small Incentives May Trigger Dishonesty

You might be surprised, but there is compelling research that supports that about 98% of us lie because we can rationalize it as insignificant. In a test of college students who were entrusted to record their own test scores, researchers found the students were more likely to lie about their scores if the money reward was only 50 cents, as opposed to $10. This is likely because while people want to maximize their own reward, they also want to feel like they are good people. Lying and reaping just another 50 cents or 1 dollar seems like just a small “white lie,” whereas doing it for a bigger sum, like $10 or more, seems more dishonest. Study author Dan Ariely wrote:

“We tend to think that people are either honest or dishonest… But that is not how dishonesty works. Over the past decade or so, my colleagues and I have taken a close look at why people cheat, using a variety of experiments and looking at a panoply of unique data sets—from insurance claims to employment histories to the treatment records of doctors and dentists.

What we have found, in a nutshell: Everybody has the capacity to be dishonest, and almost everybody cheats—just by a little. Except for a few outliers at the top and bottom, the behavior of almost everyone is driven by two opposing motivations. On the one hand, we want to benefit from cheating and get as much money and glory as possible; on the other hand, we want to view ourselves as honest, honorable people. Sadly, it is this kind of small-scale mass cheating, not the high-profile cases, that is most corrosive to society.”

Protect Your Health by Being Honest

Honesty really is the best policy, and you can take the five-week sincerity challenge to see if it makes a difference in your health and well-being. If you find lying has become a habit, you can break it by prominently displaying your new moral code: honesty is the best policy. In the study of college students mentioned above, the perception of a moral code is what stopped people from cheating. When researchers reminded students of moral codes in connection with the tests, for instance reminding students of the schools’ moral code prior to testing, no cheating occurred.

The same thing happened when participants were asked to swear on a Bible -- no cheating occurred (even among self-declared atheists in the group). Anita Kelly, whose study revealed being sincere has real health advantages, recommends going easy on yourself at first. You’re bound to have slip-ups, but when that happens simply correct what you’ve said. As she said, “being sincere is a process and you will get there with practice.” When you do, you’re likely to experience profound benefits. She continued:¹⁰

“Being sincere brings you closer to the decent people you know, pushes away the naysayers, and allows you to feel a certain hopefulness about the world. To the extent that you experience these, I believe you too will have profound health benefits.”

New Documentary “Symphony of the Soil” Extols the Importance and Mystery of Soil

By Dr. Mercola

“If we have declared a war against the soil itself, then we are literally committing a species level suicide.” — Dr. Vandana Shiva

One of Earth’s greatest treasures is soil, without which we could not survive. Soil is the mother of nearly all plant life, and ultimately, all animal life on this planet. It’s the interface between biology and geology—the living skin of the earth.

A new documentary, “Symphony of the Soil,” extols the importance and mystery of soil, as discussed by some of the world’s most esteemed scientists, farmers, and activists.¹ This visually stunning film reveals how the future of humankind largely depends on how well we care for this vital natural resource.

Interestingly, the film was made by Deborah Garcia who also made “The Future of Food” 10 years ago. This is the film that catalyzed my commitment to eliminating GMOs. In September of this year, I actually had an opportunity to meet Deborah and we did the short interview below.

The Big Picture

Today’s chemical agriculture is destroying our planet’s soils at a disturbing pace—soils that took hundreds, even thousands of years to develop. A food system based on monoculture, genetically engineered foods, and toxic agrichemicals is decimating to the soil, which is a living, breathing ecosystem.

Despite what industry purports, biotechnology is not the answer to world hunger, nor is it sustainable. The rate at which we are using up fuel, water, and soil does not bode well for the longevity of our species, especially in light of the latest world population estimates.

New predictions, based on revised algorithms described to be far more accurate, predict the world population will reach 11 billion by the end of the 21st Century.^{2, 3} Feeding this many people requires a VASTLY different approach than the present system.

The rate at which soils are disappearing from our globe is alarming. If you visit Worldometers,⁴ you can view a real-time clock that tracks the area of land lost to soil erosion, along with other environmental statistics. As of my last check, the area of land lost to soil erosion so far this year amounted to 4,987,477 hectares—and of course, the year isn’t over yet.

The focus of our food system should not be on growing food, but rather on developing healthy soil, which should be a priority if we want to survive as a species.

One Tablespoon of Healthy Soil Contains 50 Billion Busy Microbes

Most of the planet consists of solid rock, upon which most plants can’t grow. Approximately 75 percent of soils are transported soils (such as from windblown sediment, or loess), with only 25 percent forming in place. Soils are incredibly diverse, and different plant communities adapt to different soils.

Soil starts with a mineral source—weathered rock, glacial silt, river sediments, lava flows, sand, etc.—but it isn’t soil until organic matter is added. Organic sources can be living or non-living. Old leaves, dead animals, and tiny living things all enrich the soil with its necessary carbon.

Healthy soil is about 50 percent solids and 50 percent air and water, simply teeming with life—mites, nematodes, protozoa, and a whole menagerie of other organisms, most of them smaller than the head of a pin.

Soil microorganisms are so abundant that 70 to 80 percent have yet to be identified. It’s estimated one tablespoon of soil contains about 50 billion microbes.⁵ More than 90 percent of land plants are nourished by mycorrhizae, a symbiotic form of fungi that help move nutrients from the soil into the plants’ roots.

But there are also thousands of other microbes playing their parts in this microbial symphony in the soil. According to North Carolina University Cooperative Extension:⁶

“As soil life forms move through the soil, they create channels that improve aeration and drainage. Nematodes and protozoa swim in the film of water around soil particles and feed on bacteria. Mites eat fungi; fungi decompose soil organic matter.

The microorganisms' primary role is to break down organic matter to obtain energy. They help release essential nutrients and carbon dioxide, perform key roles in nitrogen fixation, the nitrogen and phosphorus cycles, denitrification, immobilization and mineralization.

Microbes must have a constant supply of organic matter or their numbers will decline. Conditions that favor soil life also promote plant growth.”

Soil Has Its Own Life Cycle

The full life cycle of soil, in all of its stages, can be seen across the Hawaiian Islands in soils that are several hundred to several million years old, with lava as their substrate. On the new island like the Big Island of Hawaii, you will find soils as young as 300 years to extraordinarily rich 20,000-year-old soils in which just about anything can grow, to 350,000-year-old soils whose nutrients have been washed out by eons of rainfall.

Extremely old Hawaiian soils, like Kauai, reaching four million years, are almost completely devoid of nutrients. These ancient soils are highly compressed and essentially just clay.

Unfortunately, agriculture the way it’s typically done today greatly accelerates this soil aging process. Soils that would have remained viable for millions of years in nature are rendered dead and lifeless by monoculture in a few short years. Tragically, these soils will take hundreds to thousands of years to recover fully in nature—and not until all agricultural assaults are ceased.

Chemical farming results in waterlogged soil that’s easily compacted by heavy machinery, rendered impermeable and susceptible to erosion. One-third of the world’s arable land has already been lost to soil erosion.  

Chemical Farming Pollutes the Planet, Kills Bees, and Injures Babies

Only a few hundred of the 80,000 chemicals in use in the United States have been tested for safety. The majority ends up in our soil and waterways, destroying soil’s beneficial organisms while allowing pathogens to flourish. Not only are these chemicals decimating our soils, but they’re also killing off bees, butterflies, and other flora and fauna. According to this documentary, 60 percent of the world’s ecological systems are nearing collapse, yet industry continues to turn a blind eye to the destruction.

Not only are agrichemicals making our soils sick, but their long-term effects on humans have yet to be determined. Residues of glyphosate, the active ingredient in Monsanto’s herbicide Roundup, are found in most commonly consumed foods in the Western diet, courtesy of genetically engineered (GE) sugar, corn, soy, and conventionally grown wheat that has been desiccated. Atrazine and nitrates form a deadly combination, as nitrates shut off your body’s defenses against these chemicals.

Research suggests glyphosate may “enhance the damaging effects of other food-borne chemical residues and toxins in the environment to disrupt normal body functions (including gut bacteria) and promote disease.” Glyphosate also appears to stimulate hormone-dependent cancers even at extremely low concentrations.

Studies show that even tiny exposures to common lawn chemicals can induce abortions and resorbtion of fetuses. In fact, the greatest effects appear to be from the lowest doses. Very small exposures can alter developmental trajectories, resulting in birth defects, irregularities in genitalia, and learning impairments. Babies conceived during the months of highest lawn chemical use are known to have greater risks for these birth defects and developmental abnormalities.

Nitrogen Depletion and Nitrogen Pollution—Two Sides of the Same Coin

Nitrogen is extremely important for plants, but 70 percent of it is in the air, in an unusable form. Soil bacteria transform this atmospheric nitrogen into a form plants can use. Typically, this is done through nitrogen fixing bacteria like the types that are present on many legumes. However, if soil bacteria are absent, plants require some other source of nitrogen. In conventional commercial agriculture, synthetic fertilizer is typically used—in massive quantities.

Synthetic fertilizers increase plant biomass, so farmers enjoy higher crop yields in the short run. However, a large amount of this nitrogen ends up going to the wrong places. Plants can only use a limited amount of nitrogen, so the excess gets released into the air as a potent greenhouse gas, and into waterways and ultimately oceans, resulting in dead zones.

On average, only half of the added fertilizer is taken up by the plants—the other half is lost immediately to runoff and evaporation. This is even worse with vegetable crops, which can lose up to 80 percent of added nitrogen. However, in spite of all this excess nitrogen, the soil itself becomes depleted in nitrogen, since most of the nitrogen-fixing bacteria have been killed off.

Nitrogen pollution reduces oxygen levels in seawater, which causes plankton and other organisms to die off. The Gulf of Mexico dead zone covers 7,000 square miles—an area the size of New Jersey—largely the result of nitrogen leakage down the Mississippi River from massive corn growing operations.

But it’s a completely different story with organic farming. There is minimum leakage of nitrogen because it’s released slowly and taken up again by living organisms, and there is much less water runoff. Small amounts of nitrogen are continuously brought into the system by nitrogen-fixing bacteria. Also, cover crops such as vetches, oats, peas, and other legumes and manure continuously release nitrogen into the soil.  

Synthetic nitrogen fertilizers are extremely costly in terms of energy. Fertilizers account for 50 percent of the energy use in conventional agriculture. Studies show that using cover crops (crop rotation) when growing corn or soy can reduce nitrogen leaching by 70 percent, as well as beginning to rebuild the soil in just two to three years.

Soil Health Can Be Enhanced by Grazing Animals

Soil erosion is made worse by careless overgrazing. In the US, there are 100 million head of cattle, seven million sheep and four million horses grazing the land. The vast majority of these livestock operations do not incorporate soil regeneration practices—they just continuously take from the soil without putting anything back. When soil is spent, they move on to “greener pastures.”

Additionally, livestock are given parasiticides, which pass through in their feces and end up killing many of the dung beetles responsible for breaking down cow patties. Dung beetles carry their little “dung balls” up to four feet away from the dung pile, spreading those nutrients into neighboring areas. Without dung beetles, this natural fertilization process doesn’t occur. Some suggest the answer to overgrazing is to stop using animals for food. However, properly managed grazing combined with organic farming actually builds the soil, as opposed to killing it, resulting in higher crop yields and fewer weed and pest problems.

Irrigation Is Draining the World’s Water Supply

Our fresh water resources are being drawn down at an unsustainable rate through irrigation—70 percent of all fresh water is used for crops. According to a UN study, the world’s need for fresh water is projected to double over the next 50 years.^{7, 8} In China, 80 percent of grain is dependent on irrigation. Chemical farming requires FAR more water than organic farming. In arid regions that irrigate, soil losses due to salinization equal those of soil erosion, accounting for a loss of 25 million acres of land each year across the globe. Plants grown in healthy soil have only five to 10 percent of the water requirement of plants trying to grow in sickly soil.

If soil is unhealthy, and compacted from the lack of a cover crop or mulch, water can’t penetrate the soil layer and instead becomes runoff, so it doesn’t replenish the aquifers. Severe droughts will continue to plague our food supply, like the one currently parching the American Southwest. California is in the death-grip of a record-breaking drought, with ravages easily seen in a series of before-and-after images posted on Vox.⁹ Here are a few things you can do to keep your soil healthy and reduce your water requirements:

• Grow organically; at Rodale Institute, organic farming outperformed chemical farming by 70 percent under drought conditions
• Use drip lines for irrigation, which use water more efficiently
• Avoid plowing and tilling, and cover your home garden with a mulch like hay or wood chips  
• Plant cover crops, such as legumes and oats, during the off season
• If you live in a rainy area, harvest rainwater in rain barrels to use during the dry season.¹⁰ Using mulches like hay or wood chips will also dramatically reduce the need for watering

Plowing and tilling are inadvisable as they disturb the soil’s delicate ecosystem, once established. A better approach is direct seeding and topcoating the soil with amendments. There is no need to remove all of the dead plant matter, as it naturally decomposes and nourishes the soil. Even “weeds” can be helpful to the overall system—what you might consider a weed may actually be a plant that’s making a valuable contribution. In fact, some weedy areas have actually been shown to produce higher crop yields than weeded areas.

Wood Chips Is One of the Best Ways to Improve Your Soil Health

I am so grateful to Paul Gautschi, whose video Back to Eden, helped me understand the value of using a protective ground cover mulch like hay or wood chips. The simplicity and low cost were massively appealing for me, and I believe it may be the single best way to optimize soil microbiology with very little effort. Paul replicates what occurs in nature, which doesn't make compost piles, but degrades the ground cover of leaves, twigs, and stems slowly over time. It seems obvious to me that this is precisely the type of environment that soil microbes are adapted to.

The key here is to create stable carbon complexes. Biochar is certainly one way to do that as it will last in the soil for centuries, but you can actually create something similar for far less time and money with wood chips. The chips and leaves gradually break down and are digested and redigested by a wide variety of bacteria, fungi, protozoa, and nematodes in the soil. Once the carbon can't be digested anymore, it forms humates that last in the soil for centuries and provide a host of benefits. The longer you leave the chips on, and the deeper you put on the wood chips, the deeper the topsoil will be. This simple method also cuts down on weeding and irrigation needs, and eliminates the need of fertilizers.

Nearly any biomass can be used for mulch but wood chips are one of the best for a variety of reasons, one being the cost. In many communities, they are merely thrown into landfills and can easily be obtained for next to nothing by calling tree cutting services in your area. Mulches will also normalize whatever soil you have. Paul Gautschi used wood chips for decades and, when a soil test was done, most of his nutrient levels were literally 10 times higher than the great levels, and he never added any fertilizers. Finally, wood chips serve as a great insulation blanket for your soil and moderates the temperatures in the summer and the winter.

Corn-Based Biofuels are NOT the Solution

Contrary to the claims of the Obama administration, corn-based biofuels are not the answer, for the following reasons:

• A new federal study¹¹ found that corn biofuels are worse than gasoline in greenhouse gas contributions, at least in the short run; corn-based biofuels release seven percent more greenhouse gases in the early years compared with conventional gasoline
• Corn grown in the US causes more erosion and uses more synthetic fertilizer, insecticides, and herbicides than any other crop
• It takes 40 percent more fossil fuel to produce a gallon of ethanol than a gallon of gasoline, further driving up atmospheric carbon dioxide levels
• More than three tons of carbon dioxide can be sequestered per acre with organic agriculture, whereas chemical agriculture emits carbon dioxide
• 1,700 gallons of water are required to produce just ONE gallon of ethanol

Better Living Through Biology

One of the more insidious aspects to the industrial food system is that, as soil becomes sicker and less able to perform its functions, farmers become increasingly dependent on the chemical technology industry—they become trapped. The use of glyphosate begins a downward spiral, making it necessary for farmers to use more and more herbicides, pesticides, synthetic fertilizers, and GE seeds. Weeds become resistant to glyphosate, so farmers have to use more weed killers. Crops become nutrient-deprived, so they have to increase synthetic fertilizers. Weeds and bugs become superweeds and superbugs... and on and on in a vicious cycle.

The best way to avoid this trap is to refrain from using agrichemicals in the first place. Any organic farmer will tell you that they are growing SOIL, not food—a properly cared for soil will take care of growing your food. As was expressed in the film, all you need to do is “feed your soil compost and seeds.” This is actually a KEY factor I would encourage you to look for when purchasing food. Certainly get non-GMO foods but also seek to only purchase produce from local farmers who are using soil regenerative techniques, such as no till, cocktail cover crops, and livestock integration. The key is to use regenerative soil techniques not factory farming degenerative approaches.

The answer to world hunger is not genetically engineered foods or fuels, but rather reverting to ecologically rationale and sustainable agricultural practices, with an emphasis on supporting small local farmers. In a comprehensive global report entitled “Agriculture at a Crossroads,” IAAST (International Assessment of Agricultural Knowledge, Science and Technology for Development) gave high-tech farming a dismal two thumbs-down.^{12, 13} Resistance to revamping the food system can be expected from a few mega-corporations whose pockets are lined by the chemical technology and pesticide industries, but as a consumer, you have a great deal of power as you vote every day with your wallet.

Take Control of Your Health—Choose Your Foods Wisely

In a recent interview with to Dr. Stephanie Seneff, a number of frightening revelations concerning GE foods came out during the Beijing conference. Besides the potential hazards associated with GE foods—which includes heightened allergenicity—the issue of glyphosate contamination is a very important one. It appears to play an instrumental role not only in celiac disease, but also in autism, Alzheimer's, and cancer. In fact, Dr. Seneff's work suggests it may play a role in most chronic diseases.

Smoking Is Major Factor in Alzheimer’s Disease

By Dr. Mercola

Alzheimer's disease, a severe form of dementia, affects an estimated 5.2 million Americans, according to 2013 statistics.¹ Approximately 7.7 million new cases of dementia are identified every year—which amounts to one new case every four seconds.²

One in nine seniors over the age of 65 has Alzheimer's, and the disease is now thought to be the third leading cause of death in the US, right behind heart disease and cancer.

While you cannot change your age and family history, there are modifiable lifestyle factors you can act upon to effectively reduce your risk for developing this tragic disease.

These modifiable risk factors include things like diet, physical activity, obesity, cognitive activity, and tobacco use. Recent research indicates that tobacco use may play a significant role in Alzheimer's disease.

In 2014, the World Health Organization (WHO) published a report entitled "Tobacco Use & Dementia,"^{3, 4} based on a comprehensive scientific review of tobacco use, exposure to secondhand smoke, and incidence rates for all types of dementia, including Alzheimer's.

The report found that smokers have a 45 percent higher risk of developing dementia than non-smokers, and concluded that 14 percent of all Alzheimer's cases worldwide may potentially be attributed to smoking.

These risks hold true across nearly every income level and geographic boundary—including US, China, India, and Latin America. Smokers with dementia also die earlier than non-smokers with dementia.

Tobacco Damages Your Blood Vessels and Brain Cells

Smoking is thought to cause dementia by the same biological mechanisms as its contribution to coronary artery disease, cerebrovascular disease, and stroke, namely by promoting the following three pathological processes:⁵

1. Increasing total plasma homocysteine, which is a known risk factor for stroke, cognitive impairment, Alzheimer's, and other dementias
2. Accelerating atherosclerosis in your heart and brain, which deprives your brain cells of oxygen and important nutrients. Arterial stiffness is associated with the buildup of beta-amyloid plaque in your brain, which is a hallmark of Alzheimer's disease
3. Oxidative stress, excitotoxicity, neural death, and inflammation that may directly or indirectly be related to brain changes seen in people with Alzheimer's

For those who have a past history of smoking but do not currently smoke, the risk is less predictable, which suggests that smoking cessation later in life is beneficial and may reduce your dementia risk, as well as lowering your overall mortality.

This conclusion matches the findings of prior studies, which point to the benefits of smoking cessation regardless of your age.⁶ One study showed that women who quit smoking before age 40 avoid more than 90 percent of the overall increased mortality caused by continued smoking, and those who quit by age 30 avoid 97 percent of the increased mortality.

Another study found smokers over age 65 who quit smoking might reduce their risk of dying from heart-related problems to that of a non-smoker within just eight years.

Your Risks from Secondhand Smoke Are Almost as High

A link between secondhand smoke and dementia is very likely, although studies are limited. According to the WHO:⁷

"The pathophysiological link between secondhand smoke exposure and dementia is not well understood. At this time, an indirect causal pathway is biologically plausible because of recognized associations between secondhand smoke exposure, increased risk of cardiovascular conditions and stroke.

The cardiovascular effects of secondhand smoke are nearly as great as for smoking, and operate through essentially the same biological mechanisms..."

The report cites six studies that all suggest exposure to secondhand smoke increases your risk for Alzheimer's disease and other types of dementia. The risk appears to be "dose-dependent"—related to the frequency and duration of exposure. Even less is known about smokeless tobacco use and dementia risk. The WHO scientists state:

"Smokeless tobacco contains over 2000 chemical compounds, including nicotine. It is biologically plausible that the use of smokeless tobacco could increase the risk of dementia through cardiovascular disease-related mechanisms, as use of snus [a type of Swedish smokeless tobacco sold in loose form or in paper sachets that users stuff under their upper lip] has an increased risk of death from cardiovascular disease."

It should also be noted that secondhand smoke is dangerous to the health of your pets. Animals can develop lung damage and certain kinds of cancers from exposure to smoke, residual chemicals left behind by cigarettes, and from toxins that cling to a smoker's hands and clothing. Studies show that secondhand smoke may double your cat's risk for lymphoma.

Is Alzheimer's Disease Really Another Type of Diabetes?

Download Interview Transcript

A growing body of research suggests there's a major connection between your diet and your risk of developing Alzheimer's disease, via similar pathways that cause type 2 diabetes, as explained by Dr. Perlmutter in the interview above. If you are diabetic, your risk of Alzheimer's is TWICE that of someone with optimal metabolic function.

Even if you are perfectly healthy, excess sugar and other carbohydrates can disrupt your brain function. Over the long term, sugar can contribute to the shrinking of your hippocampus, which is a hallmark symptom of Alzheimer's disease.

This connection between diet and brain function is so profound that Alzheimer's disease was tentatively dubbed "type 3 diabetes" in early 2005, when researchers discovered that in addition to your pancreas, your brain also produces insulin, and this brain insulin is necessary for the survival of your brain cells.

Contrary to popular belief, your brain does not require glucose and actually functions better burning alternative fuels, especially ketones, which your body produces in response to digesting healthy fats. According to some experts, such as Dr. Ron Rosedale, Alzheimer's and other brain disorders may in large part be caused by the constant burning of glucose for fuel by your brain.

There is strong evidence that overconsumption of carbohydrates and underconsumption of healthy fats are central to the Alzheimer's epidemic. It is conceivable that lowering glucose levels in older people may have a positive influence on cognition, even if they're within the "normal" range.

New Study: Aspartame May Play a Role in Alzheimer's

Studies are beginning to confirm lingering suspicions that aspartame may play a role in Alzheimer's. The key mechanism of harm appears to be methanol toxicity—a much-ignored problem associated with this artificial sweetener in particular. In recent research, methanol-fed mice displayed partial "Alzheimer's disease-like symptoms," and rhesus monkeys fed methanol developed persistent pathological changes related to the development of Alzheimer's.

Humans are the only mammals who are NOT equipped with a protective biological mechanism that breaks down methanol into harmless formic acid. This is why animal testing of aspartame does not fully apply to humans. Since there is no conventional cure, the issue of prevention is absolutely critical if you want to avoid becoming an Alzheimer's statistic. The remainder of this article will cover diet and lifestyle strategies for optimizing brain health, as well as tips for increasing your success in quitting smoking.

I. Alzheimer's Prevention Strategies: Diet

Keeping your brain healthy and preventing the pathological changes that pave the way to dementia begins with optimizing your diet. Several important principles are outlined below, and more comprehensive information is provided in my free Optimized Nutrition Plan.

• Avoid sugar and refined fructose. Ideally, you'll want to keep your sugar levels to a minimum and your total fructose below 25 grams per day, or as low as 15 grams per day if you have insulin/leptin resistance or any related disorders.
• Avoid gluten and casein (primarily wheat and pasteurized dairy, but not dairy fat, such as butter). Research shows that your blood-brain barrier is negatively affected by gluten. Gluten also makes your gut more permeable, which allows proteins to get into your bloodstream, where they don't belong. That then sensitizes your immune system and promotes inflammation and autoimmunity, both of which play a role in the development of Alzheimer's disease For more on this topic, please listen to my 2013 interview with Dr. David Perlmutter, included above, author of New York Times Bestseller Grain Brain.
• Optimize your gut flora by regularly eating fermented foods or taking a high-potency and high-quality probiotic supplement.
• Increase consumption of all healthful fats, including animal-based omega-3. Health-promoting fats that your brain needs for optimal function include organic butter from raw milk, clarified butter called ghee, organic grass-fed raw butter, olives, organic virgin olive oil and coconut oil, nuts like pecans and macadamia, free-range eggs, wild Alaskan salmon, and avocado. Also make sure you're getting enough animal-based omega-3 fats, such as krill oil. (I recommend avoiding most fish because, although fish is naturally high in omega-3, most fish are now severely contaminated with mercury.) High intake of the omega-3 fats EPA and DHA help by preventing cell damage caused by Alzheimer's disease, thereby slowing down its progression, and lowering your risk of developing the disorder.
• Reduce your overall calorie consumption, and/or intermittently fast. Ketones are mobilized when you replace carbs with coconut oil and other sources of healthy fats. Intermittent fasting is a powerful tool to jumpstart your body into remembering how to burn fat and repair the insulin/leptin resistance that is also a primary contributing factor for Alzheimer's. To learn more, please see this previous article.
• Improve your magnesium levels. There is some exciting preliminary research strongly suggesting a decrease in Alzheimer symptoms with increased levels of magnesium in the brain. Unfortunately most magnesium supplements do not pass the blood brain levels, but a new one, magnesium threonate, appears to and holds some promise for the future for treating this condition and may be superior to other forms.
• Eat a nutritious diet rich in folate. Vegetables, without question, are your best form of folate, and we should all eat plenty of fresh raw veggies every day.  Avoid supplements like folic acid, which is the inferior synthetic version of folate.

II. Alzheimer's Prevention Strategies: Lifestyle

Besides diet, there are a number of other lifestyle factors that can contribute to or impede neurological health. The following strategies are therefore also important for any Alzheimer's prevention plan:

• Exercise regularly. It's been suggested that exercise can trigger a change in the way the amyloid precursor protein is metabolized,⁸ thus, slowing down the onset and progression of Alzheimer's. Exercise also increases levels of the protein PGC-1alpha. Research has shown that people with Alzheimer's have less PGC-1alpha in their brains⁹—and cells that contain more of the protein produce less of the toxic amyloid protein associated with Alzheimer's. I would strongly recommend reviewing the Peak Fitness Technique for my specific recommendations.
• Optimize your vitamin D levels with safe sun exposure. Strong links between low levels of vitamin D in Alzheimer's patients and poor outcomes on cognitive tests have been revealed. Researchers believe that optimal vitamin D levels may enhance the amount of important chemicals in your brain and protect brain cells by increasing the effectiveness of the glial cells in nursing damaged neurons back to health. Vitamin D may also exert some of its beneficial effects on Alzheimer's through its anti-inflammatory and immune-boosting properties. Sufficient vitamin D is imperative for proper functioning of your immune system to combat inflammation that is also associated with Alzheimer's.
• Avoid and eliminate mercury from your body. Dental amalgam fillings, which are 50 percent mercury by weight, are one of the major sources of heavy metal toxicity. However, you should be healthy prior to having them removed. Once you have adjusted to following the diet described in my optimized nutrition plan, you can follow the mercury detox protocol and then find a biological dentist to have your amalgams removed.
• Avoid and eliminate aluminum from your body: Sources of aluminum include antiperspirants, non-stick cookware, vaccine adjuvants, etc. For tips on how to detox aluminum, please see my article, "First Case Study to Show Direct Link Between Alzheimer's and Aluminum Toxicity."
• Avoid flu vaccinations as most contain both mercury and aluminum, well-known neurotoxic and immunotoxic agents.
• Avoid anticholinergics and statin drugs. Drugs that block acetylcholine, a nervous system neurotransmitter, have been shown to increase your risk of dementia. These drugs include certain nighttime pain relievers, antihistamines, sleep aids, certain antidepressants, medications to control incontinence, and certain narcotic pain relievers. Statin drugs are particularly problematic because they suppress the synthesis of cholesterol, deplete your brain of coenzyme Q10 and neurotransmitter precursors, and prevent adequate delivery of essential fatty acids and fat-soluble antioxidants to your brain by inhibiting the production of the indispensable carrier biomolecule known as low-density lipoprotein.
• Challenge your mind daily. Mental stimulation, especially learning something new, such as learning to play an instrument or a new language, is associated with a decreased risk of Alzheimer's. Researchers suspect that mental challenge helps to build up your brain, making it less susceptible to the lesions associated with Alzheimer's disease.
• Manage stress. Recent research shows that stress may be related to the onset of Alzheimer's disease by triggering a degenerative process in your brain. Researchers found that nearly three out of four Alzheimer's patients had experienced severe emotional stress during the two years preceding their diagnosis, compared to just over one in four in the control group. One of the keys is to find a healthy emotional outlet. Many people use exercise, meditation, or relaxation techniques for this, and these are all great. But additionally, I recommend learning the Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT), as this an excellent tool for managing everyday stress and clearing out old emotional patterns that may not be serving you well.

III. Other Natural Treatments for Your Anti-Alzheimer's Arsenal

Finally, there are a few other nutritional recommendations worth noting for their specific benefits in preventing and treating dementia. So, although your fundamental strategy for preventing dementia should involve a comprehensive lifestyle approach, you may want to consider adding a few of these natural dietary agents to your anti-Alzheimer's arsenal. These four natural foods/supplements have good science behind them, in terms of preventing age-related cognitive changes:

• Astaxanthin is a natural pigment with unique properties and many clinical benefits, including some of the most potent antioxidant activity currently known. As a fat-soluble nutrient, astaxanthin readily crosses your blood-brain barrier. One study¹⁰ found it may help prevent neurodegeneration associated with oxidative stress, as well as make a potent natural "brain food."

The molecules of astaxanthin neutralize free radicals and other oxidants without being destroyed or becoming pro-oxidants themselves in the process. It's is a unique molecule whose shape allows it to precisely fit into a cell membrane and span its entire width. In this position, astaxanthin can intercept potentially damaging molecules before they can damage your cells. An additional benefit of astaxanthin is that it's been found to help prevent oxidative damage in those who smoke.¹¹

You can get some astaxanthin by taking krill oil, which is a highly absorbable animal-based omega-3 fat supplement. But you can boost your astaxanthin even MORE by adding a pure astaxanthin supplement to your nutritional regimen. For optimal absorption, make sure to take krill oil and/or astaxanthin with a fat-containing meal, since both are fat-soluble.

• Ginkgo biloba: Many scientific studies have found that Ginkgo biloba has positive effects for dementia. Ginkgo, which is derived from a tree native to Asia, has long been used medicinally in China and other countries. A1997 study from JAMA showed clear evidence that Ginkgo improves cognitive performance and social functioning for those suffering from dementia. Research since then has been equally promising. One study in 2006 found Ginkgo as effective as the dementia drug Aricept (donepezil) for treating mild to moderate Alzheimer's type dementia. A 2010 meta-analysis found Ginkgo biloba to be effective for a variety of types of dementia.
• Alpha lipoic acid (ALA): ALA can stabilize cognitive functions among Alzheimer's patients and may slow the progression of the disease.
• Vitamin B12: A small Finnish study published in the journal Neurology¹² found thatpeople who consume foods rich in B12 may reduce their risk of Alzheimer's in their later years. For each unit increase in the marker of vitamin B12, the risk of developing Alzheimer's was reduced by two percent. Remember, sublingual methylcobalamin may be your best bet here.

Secrets to Success in Quitting Smoking

It's never too late to benefit from stopping smoking. I believe the "secret" is to get healthy first, which will make quitting that much easier. If you have implemented the diet and lifestyle strategies outlined above, you are well on your way! Exercise is particularly important here. Research shows that people who engage in regular exercise (specifically, strength training) are TWICE as likely to succeed in quitting smoking as those who don't exercise.¹³

Studies also show that two-thirds to three-quarters of ex-smokers stop unaided,¹⁴ so if you're thinking of quitting smoking, try going cold turkey. However you choose to go about it, I strongly advise against using "anti-smoking" drugs like Chantix, which have potentially serious side effects, including depression, suicidal behavior, and a multitude of other problems. Proper nutrition, regular exercise, sound sleep and good stress management are far better ways of approaching smoking cessation. EFT, which I mentioned earlier in reference to stress management, can also be a powerful tool for keeping tobacco cravings to a minimum.

Narcotic Overdose Deaths Quadrupled in the Last Decade

By Dr. Mercola

Earlier this year, Gil Kerlikowske, director of the U.S. Office of National Drug Control Policy stated that the use of narcotic painkillers and other opioids is "having a devastating impact on public health and safety in communities across the nation."¹

The powerful drugs, which have their place in treating short-term severe pain, such as that which occurs after surgery or serious accidents, are now widely used for treating chronic pain problems, like headaches and back pain.

As pain is one of the most common health complaints in the US, record numbers of Americans are, sadly, now becoming drug addicts in an attempt to live pain-free. According to 2010 data, there were enough narcotic painkillers being prescribed in the US to medicate every single adult, around the clock, for a month.²

By 2012, a whopping 259 million prescriptions for opioids and other narcotic painkillers were written in the US, which equates to 82.5 prescriptions for every 100 Americans.³ We've been seeing the fallout from this overprescribing for a number of years now, but new federal data revealed that the problem is getting worse instead of better.

Deaths from Narcotic Painkillers Rise Four-Fold in a Decade

A report from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) revealed that deaths from overdoses of drugs like hydrocodone (Vicodin), morphine, and oxycodone (Oxycontin) rose from 1.4 per 100,000 in 1999 to 5.4 per 100,000 in 2011.⁴ This equates to about 3,000 such deaths in 1999 and close to 12,000 just over a decade later.

Despite the significant jump, the report's co-author, Dr. Holly Hedegaard, an epidemiologist at CDC's National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS), pointed out that the rate of increase has slowed from about 18 percent a year in 2006 to 3 percent a year more recently.⁵ Still, the rate is still on the rise, and increases among certain populations were striking. For instanc

• Among people aged 55 to 64, deaths from prescription narcotic overdoses increased from one per 100,000 people in 1999 to more than 6 per 100,000 in 2011
• The number of opioid deaths among white people increased by 4.5 times during the study period
• The number of opioid deaths among African Americans doubled during the study period

Opioids Combined with 'Benzos' Make Up More Than 30 Percent of Narcotic Deaths

Opioids aren't the only type of narcotic included in the CDC data. Benzodiazepines such as Xanax, which are sedatives used to treat anxiety and insomnia, accounted for 31 percent of the narcotic overdose deaths in 2011 (up from 13 percent in 1999). Separate research shows that the use of "benzos" has risen alongside the use of opioids, and the sedatives are often used alongside the painkillers to enhance the "high."⁶

If you're wondering just how deadly opioids and benzos can be, earlier this year the state of Ohio used an opioid/benzo mix in a death-row execution after it couldn't obtain the conventionally used drugs.⁷

Despite their known risks, preliminary research presented at the 2014 meeting of the American Academy of Pain Medicine in Phoenix, Arizona also found that 12.6 percent of all primary care visits made by Americans between 2002 and 2009 involved prescriptions for sedatives and/or narcotic painkillers (opioids).⁸ The study also found:

• The number of prescriptions for sedative drugs rose by 12.5 percent a year
• Patients receiving a narcotic painkiller were 4.2 times more likely to receive a second prescription for a sedative
• The number of joint prescriptions of opioids and sedatives also increased by 12 percent a year in that time frame
• Prescription sedatives and narcotic painkillers are responsible for at least 30 percent of narcotic painkiller-related deaths
• Besides deaths caused by overdose, other risks associated with sedative use include falls in the elderly, emergency room visits, and drug dependence

Drug Companies Sued for Creating an Epidemic of Prescription Drug Abuse

Chicago and two California counties—Orange and Santa Clara—have filed a lawsuit against five drug companies that manufacture OxyContin, charging them with contributing to an epidemic of drug abuse. The two California counties are suing on behalf of the entire state.

In Santa Clara County, the death rate for opioid overdoses has tripled in the last decade, and according to assistant County Counsel Danny Chou, this is all due to a "decades-long marketing plan" by drug companies "to create a market for these drugs that never should have existed" in the first place.⁹

According to Chou, Santa Clara spends millions of dollars to treat overdoses and addiction in its public hospitals, and he wants the drug makers to pay for these costs—just like tobacco companies were forced to pay after being sued in the 1990s.

The lawsuit accuses the drug companies of purposefully downplaying the risks of these drugs, and secretly funding front organizations, like the American Pain Foundation, to promote the use of painkillers.

Interestingly, a 2011 Journal Sentinel/MedPage Today investigatio discovered that a University of Wisconsin-based organization called Pain & Policy Studies Group—which had received $2.5 million from makers of painkillers over the past decade—had been a "national force" pushing for expanded use of opioids.¹⁰ This group has also warned against increasing regulations of these dangerous drugs.

The largest funder of the UW Pain Group was Purdue Pharma, which donated about $1.6 million to the group. Purdue actually ended up having to pay fines and restitution payments to the tune of $635 million after the US Department of Justice accused the company of misleading doctors with fraudulent claims back in 2007. The company promoted OxyContin as "less addictive, less likely to cause withdrawal, and less subject to abuse" compared to other pain medications—claims for which they had no proof.

Intense Drug-Company Marketing of Opioids Goes Back to the 1950s

The epidemic of prescription overdose deaths is a relatively new problem, but it's one that been decades in the making, as reported by a Journal Sentinel/MedPage Today investigation.¹¹

"There is little to no evidence demonstrating the efficacy of opioids for chronic pain -- and even less to support the use of opioids plus benzodiazepines, yet as far back as the late 1950s, drug companies ramped up large-scale marketing efforts. The cornerstone of that marketing blitz was a series of advertisements in prominent medical journals directed at doctors -- a campaign that continued through the 1980s.

A Journal Sentinel/MedPage Today review of the ads found they often made questionable claims that tranquilizers were good for ailments including menopause, gastrointestinal problems, ulcers, and cardiovascular symptoms. In the case of benzodiazepines, institutionalized dispensing of the drugs over the years also is linked to promotional activities of drug companies, a Journal Sentinel/MedPage Today investigation found."

Children are Also at Risk from Opioids and Benzos

About 9,500 children younger than 6 are hospitalized each year after ingesting family members' medications. Among them, three-quarters are between the ages of 1 and 2. Likely echoing the sharp rise in adults' use of opioids and benzodiazepines, both opioid painkillers and benzos topped the list of medications most often responsible for young children's hospitalizations.

And in terms of single active ingredients, the most common implicated in children's hospitalizations was buprenorphine, a narcotic that, ironically, is used in medications to treat addiction to opioids. That was responsible for 8 percent of the hospitalizations alone.¹² According to the study:¹³

"Emergency department visits and subsequent hospitalizations of young children after unsupervised ingestions of prescription medications are increasing despite widespread use of child-resistant packaging and caregiver education efforts… Opioids (17.6%) and benzodiazepines (10.1%) were the most commonly implicated medication classes."

The researchers stated that "focusing unsupervised ingestion prevention efforts on medications with the highest hospitalization rates may efficiently achieve large public health impact," but an even better solution may be to curb the rampant overuse of these powerful medications in the first place.

19 Non-Drug Solutions for Pain Relief

I strongly recommend exhausting other options before you resort to an opioid pain reliever. The health risks associated with these drugs are great, and addiction is a very real concern. CDC Director Tom Frieden, put the serious danger of using narcotic painkillers even one time into perspectiv "Patients given just a single course may become addicted for life," he recently warned.¹⁴ Below, I list 19 non-drug alternatives for the treatment of pain. These options provide excellent pain relief without any of the health hazards that prescription (and even over-the-counter) painkillers carry. This list is in no way meant to represent the only approaches you can use.

They are, rather, some of the best strategies that I know of. I do understand there are times when pain is so severe that a prescription drug may be necessary. Even in those instances, the options that follow may be used in addition to such drugs, and may allow you to at least reduce your dosage. If you are in pain that is bearable, please try these first, before resorting to prescription painkillers of any kind. And if you are considering a benzodiazepine for anxiety, please try these natural solutions for anxiety first.

• Medical cannabis has a long history as a natural analgesic.¹⁵ At present, 20 US states have legalized cannabis for medical purposes. Its medicinal qualities are due to high amounts (about 10-20 percent) of cannabidiol (CBD), medicinal terpenes, and flavonoids. As discussed in this previous post, varieties of cannabis exist that are very low in tetrahydrocannabinol (THC)—the psychoactive component of marijuana that makes you feel "stoned"—and high in medicinal CBD. The Journal of Pain,¹⁶ a publication by the American Pain Society, has a long list of studies on the pain-relieving effects of cannabis. This is clearly the single most effective strategy that I know of as an alternative to reliance on narcotics for pain. If I had severe pain I would do everything I could to make sure I had legal access to this.
• Eliminate or radically reduce most grains and sugars from your diet. Avoiding grains and sugars will lower your insulin and leptin levels and decrease insulin and leptin resistance, which is one of the most important reasons why inflammatory prostaglandins are produced. That is why stopping sugar and sweets is so important to controlling your pain and other types of chronic illnesses.
• Take a high-quality, animal-based omega-3 fat. My personal favorite is krill oil. Omega-3 fats are precursors to mediators of inflammation called prostaglandins. (In fact, that is how anti-inflammatory painkillers work, they manipulate prostaglandins.)
• Optimize your production of vitamin D by getting regular, appropriate sun exposure, which will work through a variety of different mechanisms to reduce your pain.
• Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) is a drug-free approach for pain management of all kinds. EFT borrows from the principles of acupuncture, in that it helps you balance out your subtle energy system. It helps resolve underlying, often subconscious, negative emotions that may be exacerbating your physical pain. By stimulating (tapping) well-established acupuncture points with your fingertips, you rebalance your energy system, which tends to dissipate pain.
• K-Laser Class 4 Laser Therapy. If you suffer pain from an injury, arthritis, or other inflammation-based pain, I'd strongly encourage you to try out K-Laser therapy. It can be an excellent choice for many painful conditions, including acute injuries. By addressing the underlying cause of the pain, you will no longer need to rely on painkillers. K-Laser is a class 4 infrared laser therapy treatment that helps reduce pain, reduce inflammation, and enhance tissue healing—both in hard and soft tissues, including muscles, ligaments, or even bones.

The infrared wavelengths used in the K-Laser allow for targeting specific areas of your body, and can penetrate deeply into the body to reach areas such as your spine and hip. For more information about this groundbreaking technology, and how it can help heal chronic pain, please listen to my previous interview with Dr. Harrington.

• Chiropractic. Many studies have confirmed that chiropractic management is much safer and less expensive than allopathic medical treatments, especially when used for pain, such as low-back pain. Qualified chiropractic, osteopathic, and naturopathic physicians are reliable, as they have received extensive training in the management of musculoskeletal disorders during their course of graduate healthcare training, which lasts between four to six years. These health experts have comprehensive training in musculoskeletal management.
• Acupuncture can also effectively treat many kinds of pain. Research has discovered a "clear and robust" effect of acupuncture in the treatment of: back, neck, and shoulder pain, osteoarthritis, and headaches.
• Physical and massage therapy has been shown to be as good as surgery for painful conditions such as torn cartilage and arthritis.
• Astaxanthin is one of the most effective fat-soluble antioxidants known. It has very potent anti-inflammatory properties and in many cases works far more effectively than anti-inflammatory drugs. Higher doses are typically required and you may need 8 mg or more per day to achieve this benefit.
• Ginger: This herb has potent anti-inflammatory activity and offers pain relief and stomach-settling properties. Fresh ginger works well steeped in boiling water as a tea or grated into vegetable juice.
• Curcumin: In a study of osteoarthritis patients, those who added 200 mg of curcumin a day to their treatment plan had reduced pain and increased mobility. A past study also found that a turmeric extract composed of curcuminoids blocked inflammatory pathways, effectively preventing the overproduction of a protein that triggers swelling and pain.¹⁷
• Boswellia: Also known as boswellin or "Indian frankincense," this herb contains specific active anti-inflammatory ingredients. This is one of my personal favorites as I have seen it work well with many rheumatoid arthritis patients.
• Bromelain: This enzyme, found in pineapples, is a natural anti-inflammatory. It can be taken in supplement form but eating fresh pineapple, including some of the bromelain-rich stem, may also be helpful.
• Cetyl myristoleate (CMO): This oil, found in fish and dairy butter, acts as a "joint lubricant" and an anti-inflammatory. I have used this for myself to relieve ganglion cysts and a mild annoying carpal tunnel syndrome that pops up when I type too much on non-ergonomic keyboards. I used a topical preparation for this.
• Evening primrose, black currant, and borage oils: These contain the essential fatty acid gamma linolenic acid (GLA), which is useful for treating arthritic pain.
• Cayenne cream: Also called capsaicin cream, this spice comes from dried hot peppers. It alleviates pain by depleting the body's supply of substance P, a chemical component of nerve cells that transmits pain signals to your brain.
• Methods such as yoga, Foundation Training, acupuncture, meditation, hot and cold packs, and other mind-body techniques can also result in astonishing pain relief without any drugs.
• Grounding, or walking barefoot on the earth, may also provide a certain measure of pain relief by combating inflammation.